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October 24, 2008

Bookreporter.com Newsletter

October 24, 2008

This Week on Bookreporter.com

Yes, I Know the Way to San Jose....

Now in Stores: TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve

Now in Stores: THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK by John Updike

Now in Stores: EXTREME MEASURES by Vince Flynn
Featured Women’s Fiction Author: Marie Bostwick, Author of A SINGLE THREAD

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: John Lutz, Author of NIGHT KILLS

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: M.J. Rose, Author of THE MEMORIST

Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: M. C. Beaton, Author of A SPOONFUL OF POISON

Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: Christopher Fowler, Author of THE VICTORIA VANISHES

Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Carla Neggers, Author of COLD PURSUIT
This Week's Graphic Novel Reviews
What's New This Month on FaithfulReader.com 
This Week's Reviews

Poll and Question of the Week: Book Buying and the Economy

Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- THREE Prizes

Quick Links to Features On The Book Report Network
 
Bookreporter.com
Past Reviews
Can't See the Graphics? Read This Newsletter Online
Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight Promotion
Debut Suspense/Thriller One to Watch Promotion
Mystery Mayhem Promotion

Historical Fiction Promotion

One to Watch Promotion
Books Into Movies
Bestseller Lists
Coming Soon
New in Paperback
ReadingGroupGuides.com

Yes, I Know the Way to San Jose....

As you read this, I am in San Jose at Book Group Expo, a weekend where I will be meeting book club members, seeing old author friends and meeting new ones. As I made my way across the country yet again (I am pretty close to earning GOLD status on Continental with six cross-country trips this year), I waved to Nebraska. If you live there, I hope you saw it. I tried to get the captain to dip his wings, but I figured since 9/11 that might be interpreted as some terrorist act!

Tuesday I got a note from my son’s college with “News About Final Exams” on the outside envelope. Since this exam schedule will impact when we leave for the Outer Banks for our Christmas trip, I eagerly ripped it open. Inside was not the exam schedule, but rather what I am calling “a cheerleading note to parents.” It was encouraging us to keep our kids’ energy levels up and stress levels down as they worked their way through the battle of exams with one of three treat baskets that could be delivered to their dorms. One included fresh fruit (apples and oranges), the second was an array of snack foods, and the last, the ultimate, was a combo of the two. Now I confess. I thought paying for college, books and food was sufficient and was not budgeting for a food-related pep rally. The letter was accompanied by a card that we were encouraged to fill out if we were not sending a basket so our child would not feel “left out.” I confess that it must be sleep deprivation or something, but I read this and could not stop laughing. Seriously.

Now, granted, Greg has not winged his way across the country for college, and he stops by the office a lot for work, but even if he was in Alaska, I confess I would NOT be thinking about this. Call me a bad mother! I told this story today at the office. Mary, our Advertising and Promotion Associate, told me her mom had not succumbed to this when she went to Marquette and she survived. Marisa, our Editorial Coordinator, who also went to Fordham at Lincoln Center, said her mom told her she could come home for a visit if she wanted such things. I now feel less guilty that I am just doing the card! And if Greg does well without treats, maybe this will entitle him to some extra credit.

Does anyone else notice how dark it is this time of year? I wake up in the dark, and the sun is not shining in my office at 6:30AM like I have been enjoying the last few months; by 7PM it's really dark, making me feel a lot more tired than I should be. Remember the hour we lost for Daylight Savings Time last March? I am ready to get it back. Right now! But I have two more weeks to wait. I find myself snuggling in bed a few extra minutes each morning reading before I get myself going. Instead of just reading before bed, I am reading when I wake up. My book eases me into the darkness of morning.

What am I reading? THIN IS THE NEW HAPPY by
Valerie Frankel, which is her memoir about her battle with body image since age 8. I had the pleasure of working with Val at Mademoiselle --- where I loved her smart writing and editing --- and while I am still reading that part about her high school years at the beginning of the book, I am looking forward to seeing her take on the Mademoiselle days where everyone was on a diet constantly. I felt like a moose working there where everyone was size 0, 2 or dieting at 4. I do look back at those pictures and think I looked pretty good back then. Maybe at 75 I will look good now too!

Over the weekend I read a book that is not out until January, but I want it on your radar. It's called STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova. It's a novel about a Harvard professor who is afflicted with early onset Alzheimer's when she is in her 50s. It's wonderful --- a look inside this horrific disease through the eyes of a brilliant woman who knows what is happening to her but cannot share it. It will make you think and celebrate all in your life that matters.

This week we bring you a review of TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve, which is one of the most powerful books that I have read this year. I have been looking forward to sharing this book, which is just out this week, with you since I read an advance copy back in June, skipping a business dinner to finish it. What a completely riveting story told from the points of view of all the participants. Kathy Weissman, our reviewer (who also is another
Mademoiselle alumni, making this some Bookreporter.com/Mademoiselle Alumni issue), has this to say about it: "TESTIMONY is as stimulating as it is sad. A fascinating exercise in storytelling from multiple points of view --- with no editorializing from a third-person narrator --- it makes witnesses of its readers and challenges us to make up our own minds about what is true or false, good or bad. A vigorous and provocative book."

To celebrate the October 28th release of THE MEMORIST, MJRose.com is offering a free PDF download of THE REINCARNATIONIST until October 31st. Click here for more details.


We also received some wonderful comments for THE FIRE by Katherine Neville, which you can read here. We look forward to bringing you our interview with her in the coming weeks. Our advance readers also really enjoyed EXPOSED by Alex Kava. Please click here to see what they had to say about the author's newest Maggie O'Dell novel. You may also remember the great feedback we received last week for COLD HEARTED. This week, Beverly Barton has responded to questions asked of her by the book's advance readers, which you may read here.

Next month I am going to the Miami Book Fair, an event that I just love. Okay, I confess there can be little wrong with Miami in November. It's the 25th anniversary of the Fair, and for the first time, in addition to the rest of the author panels and evening events that they have become known for, they are including a special section of programming and booths for graphic novels, called Comix Galaxy, which I am excited about as we are going to be launching our newest website, GraphicNovelReporter.com, shortly. If your book club reads graphic novels, please let me know as I have some questions for you! If you are a graphic novel fan, sign up for the GraphicNovelReporter.com newsletter here.

Have a great week….don’t let these short days get you down. Use the time inside for reading. And hope you all are getting ready for Halloween!


Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)


 

Now in Stores: TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve

TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve (Fiction)
Sex scandals involving student athletes make front-page news. The painful behind-the-headlines story of what happened and why, though less sensational, is more profoundly shocking. Bestselling author Anita Shreve has written an absorbing tale of stunned parents, lost children and the night that changed their lives. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.

-Click here to read an excerpt from TESTIMONY.

 
Click here to read a review of TESTIMONY.

 

Now in Stores: THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK by John Updike

THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK by John Updike (Fiction)
More than three decades have passed since the events described in John Updike’s THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. The three divorcées --- Alexandra, Jane and Sukie --- have left town, remarried and become widows. They cope with their grief and solitude as widows do: they travel the world, to such foreign lands as Canada, Egypt, and China, and renew old acquaintances. Why not, Sukie and Jane ask Alexandra, go back to Eastwick for the summer? Reviewed by Roz Shea.

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK.

 

Click here to read a review of THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK.


 
Now in Stores: EXTREME MEASURES by Vince Flynn

EXTREME MEASURES by Vince Flynn (Political Thriller)
Counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp and his protégé, Mike Nash, may have met their match. The CIA has detected and intercepted two terrorist cells, but a third is feared to be on the loose. Led by a dangerous mastermind obsessed with becoming the leader of al-Qaeda, this determined and terrifying group is about to descend on America. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

-Click here to read an excerpt from EXTREME MEASURES.

 

Click here to read a review of EXTREME MEASURES.

 
Featured Women’s Fiction Author: Marie Bostwick, Author of A SINGLE THREAD
New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick has captivated readers everywhere with her historical fiction titles, including FIELDS OF GOLD and ON WINGS OF THE MORNING. In A SINGLE THREAD, her first full-length novel to take place in a contemporary setting, Bostwick weaves the unforgettable story of four very different women whose paths cross, changing their lives forever. A SINGLE THREAD will be available in stores on October 28th.

-Click here to read an excerpt from A SINGLE THREAD.
-Click here to read Marie Bostwick’s bio.
-Click here to see Marie Bostwick's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for A SINGLE THREAD.
-Visit Marie Bostwick's official website, www.MarieBostwick.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about A SINGLE THREAD:
It’s a long way from Fort Worth, Texas, to New Bern, Connecticut, yet it only takes a day in the charming Yankee town to make Evelyn Dixon realize she’s found her new home. The abrupt end of her marriage was Evelyn’s wake-up call to get busy chasing her dream of opening a quilt shop. Finding a storefront is easy enough; starting a new life isn’t. Little does Evelyn imagine it will bring a trio like Abigail Burgess, her niece Liza and Margot Matthews through her door...

 

Click here to read more about Marie Bostwick and A SINGLE THREAD.


 

Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: John Lutz, Author of NIGHT KILLS

A multiple Edgar and Shamus Award winner, John Lutz is the author of over 40 books, including SWF SEEKS SAME, which became the film Single White Female, and THE EX, a critically acclaimed feature for HBO. In NIGHT KILLS, his terrifying new thriller now available in stores, former NYPD detective Frank Quinn and his team of brilliant law enforcement misfits return to hunt down a cold-blooded killer.

-Click here to read an excerpt from NIGHT KILLS.
-Click here to read John Lutz’s bio.
-Click here to see John Lutz's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for NIGHT KILLS.
-Visit John Lutz's official website, www.JohnLutzOnline.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about NIGHT KILLS:
New York Times/em> bestselling author John Lutz returns with a gruesome, page-turning psychological thriller. A former NYPD detective is hunting for a madman: someone is shooting young women in the heart, defiling their bodies, and only leaving their torsos to be found. No one knows the true motives behind a rampage of cold-blooded murders…or how much more terrifying it’s going to get.

 

Click here to read more about John Lutz and NIGHT KILLS.


 
Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: M.J. Rose, Author of THE MEMORIST
M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of 10 novels, including THE REINCARNATIONIST and three titles in the Butterfield Institute series: THE HALO EFFECT, THE DELILAH COMPLEX and THE VENUS FIX. In THE MEMORIST, Rose's riveting follow-up to THE REINCARNATIONIST, a strange letter sets a woman on a journey to unlock the mystery of who she once was. THE MEMORIST will be available in stores on October 28th.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from THE MEMORIST.
-Click here to read M.J. Rose’s bio.
-Click here to see M.J. Rose's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE MEMORIST.
-Visit M.J. Rose's official website, www.MJRose.com.
-Visit M.J. Rose's two blogs, Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory.
-Click here to learn how you can download your free PDF copy of THE REINCARNATIONIST.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THE MEMORIST:
As a child, Meers Logan was haunted by memories of another time and place, always accompanied by the faint strains of elusive music. Now the hand of the past has reached out again. Determined to unlock the mystery of who she once was, Meers travels to Vienna. With each step, she comes closer to remembering the connections between a clandestine reincarnationist society; the lost Memory Flute linked to Ludwig van Beethoven and rumored to open the door to the past; and to David Weiss, a journalist who knows all too well how the past affects the future.

 

Click here to read more about M.J. Rose and THE MEMORIST.


 

Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: M. C. Beaton, Author of A SPOONFUL OF POISON

M. C. Beaton is the New York Times bestselling author of the Agatha Raisin mysteries as well as the Hamish Macbeth series. In A SPOONFUL OF POISON, Beaton’s latest installment in the Agatha Raisin series now available in stores, Agatha and her team of private detectives are called to duty when a festive family event becomes the scene of two murders.

-Click here to read a second excerpt from A SPOONFUL OF POISON.
-Click here to read M. C. Beaton’s bio.

-Click here to see M. C. Beaton’s backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for A SPOONFUL OF POISON.

-Click here to see our finished copy winners.

More about A SPOONFUL OF POISON:
When Agatha Raisin goes to the remote hamlet of Comfrey Magna to politely turn down a public relations job, she encounters the stunning green eyes of handsome widower George Selby, and promptly agrees to do whatever PR work the village needs. But as events in Agatha’s new adventure A SPOONFUL OF POISON unfold, the rural festival Agatha is promoting soon takes a deadly turn, and Agatha must investigate the toxic spiking of some local preserves.

 
Click here to read more about M. C. Beaton and A SPOONFUL OF POISON.

 

Featured Mystery Mayhem Author: Christopher Fowler, Author of THE VICTORIA VANISHES

Christopher Fowler is the acclaimed author of the award-winning FULL DARK HOUSE and WHITE CORRIDOR, among other novels. In THE VICTORIA VANISHES, his newest Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery releasing on October 28th, detectives Arthur Bryant and John May must stop a lonely hearts killer targeting middle-aged women at some of England’s most well-known pubs.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from THE VICTORIA VANISHES.
-Click here to read Christopher Fowler’s bio.
-Click here to see Christopher Fowler's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE VICTORIA VANISHES.
-Visit Christopher Fowler’s official website, www.ChristopherFowler.co.uk.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about THE VICTORIA VANISHES:
A lonely hearts killer is targeting middle-aged women at some of England’s most well-known pubs --- including one torn down 80 years ago. What’s more, Detective Arthur Bryant happened to see one of the victims only moments before her death at the pub that doesn’t exist. Now, with the public on the verge of panic and their superiors determined to shut the Peculiar Crimes Unit down for good, Detectives Bryant and May must rise to the occasion.

 
Click here to read more about Christopher Fowler and THE VICTORIA VANISHES.

 
Featured Romantic Suspense Author: Carla Neggers, Author of COLD PURSUIT
Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including THE ANGEL and TEMPTING FATE. In COLD PURSUIT, her new romantic suspense title releasing on October 28th, a Secret Service agent and a recovering Special Forces soldier must put aside their mutual qualms when they are asked to locate a missing teenager.

-Click here to read a third excerpt from COLD PURSUIT.
-Click here to read Carla Neggers’s bio.
-Click here to see Carla Neggers's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for COLD PURSUIT.
-Visit Carla Neggers’s official website, www.CarlaNeggers.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.

More about COLD PURSUIT:
A number of prominent figures have been killed under mysterious circumstances in the past year. All unconnected. But when an esteemed U.S. ambassador is slain in a questionable hit-and-run in Washington, D.C. and his stepdaughter vanishes mere hours later in the mountains of northern New England, suspicions are raised by a Secret Service agent and a recovering Special Forces soldier.

 
Click here to read more about Carla Neggers and COLD PURSUIT.

 
This Week's Graphic Novel Reviews
THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2008 edited by Lynda Barry
The latest edition of The Best American Comics collects some of the most memorable and challenging work of the past year. Best of all, it samples from not only the top creators in the field but also some little-known, up-and-coming talents deserving of a larger spotlight. Reviewed by John Hogan.

ALAN’S WAR: The Memories of G.I. Alan Cope by Emmanuel Guibert
The memories of World War II veteran Alan Cope come to life through the visual artistry of his friend, Emmanuel Guibert, who has turned Alan’s stories into a beautiful collection about war, youth and a world gone mad. Reviewed by John Hogan.

 
Click here to see all our graphic novel reviews and features.

 
What's New This Month on FaithfulReader.com 
FaithfulReader.com is our website for Christian readers with monthly updates of reviews and interviews, as well as discussion guides, book excerpts, a monthly newsletter and more. A special feature on the site is the Faithful Fifteen, in which authors answer a series of questions about writing and faith.

Here are some of the titles being featured this month on FaithfulReader.com:

A CONSTANT HEART by Siri Mitchell
A CUT ABOVE: Shop-Til-U-Drop, Book 3 by Ginny Aiken
INVITATION: Billy Graham and the Lives He Touched by Basyle and Aram Tchividjian
JOHN 3:16 by Nancy Moser
LONGINGS OF THE HEART: Sydney Cove Series, Book 2 by Bonnie Leon
MY SISTER DILLY by Maureen Lang
OUT OF HER HANDS by Megan DiMaria
POPE JOHN PAUL II: An Intimate Life - The Pope I Knew So Well by Caroline Pigozzi
RAIN SONG by Alice J. Wisler
THE SHAPE OF MERCY by Susan Meissner
UNTIL WE REACH HOME by Lynn Austin
WAITING FOR DAYBREAK by Kathryn Cushman

 
Click here to visit FaithfulReader.com.

 
This Week's Reviews

ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson (Science Fiction)
In the Concent of Saunt Edhar, a young fraa named Erasmas and his companions are about to have their lives completely upended by a shocking discovery that finds many of them being sent forth from their protected walls and out into the world at large. Once outside, Erasmas begins a quest for answers from a cast-out leader --- answers that could hold the fate of the planet and shake the faith of the avout to the very core. Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard.

DEATH WITH INTERRUPTIONS by José Saramago (Fiction)
On the first day of the new year, no one dies. This of course causes consternation among politicians, religious leaders, morticians and doctors. Among the general public, on the other hand, there is initially celebration. Then reality hits home --- families are left to care for the permanently dying, life-insurance policies become meaningless, and funeral parlors are reduced to arranging burials for pet dogs, cats, hamsters and parrots. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

THE GLASS OF TIME
by Michael Cox
(Mystery)
In the autumn of 1876, 19-year-old orphan Esperanza Gorst arrives at the great country house of Evenwood to become a lady's maid to the 26th Baroness Tansor. But Esperanza is no ordinary servant. She has been sent by her guardian, the mysterious Madame de l'Orme, to uncover the secrets that her new mistress has sought to conceal, and to set right a past injustice in which Esperanza's own life is bound up. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

GOOD PEOPLE by Marcus Sakey (Thriller)
A family, and the security to enjoy it: that’s all Tom and Anna Reed ever wanted. But years of infertility treatments, including four failed attempts at in-vitro fertilization, have left them with neither. So when their downstairs tenant dies in his sleep, the $400,000 they find stashed in his kitchen seems like fate. But their happiness will not last very long. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

THE LITTLE BOOK by Selden Edwards (Fiction)
Time travel is a tricky theme for writers to tackle. It’s difficult to make the events and reactions feel real and natural, and to tie up all the loose ends of the plot. It’s even harder to do all this and still explore other ideas in the story, giving the fantastic aspects a foundation and relatability. First-time novelist Selden Edwards's tale presents readers with the story of an amazing family, two members of whom have become dislodged from linear time. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.

THE SHIKSA SYNDROME
by Laurie Graff
(Fiction)
Tired of watching all the good Jewish men marry Shiksas, as non-Jewish women are known, Aimee Albert decides to take charge of her future by posing as the enemy and snaring a good Jewish man for herself, in this hilarious tale of deception and half-truths. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.

CLOTHING OPTIONAL: And Other Ways to Read These Stories by Alan Zweibel (Humor)
In this diverse collection, former “Saturday Night Live” writer Alan Zweibel generously shares his wry worldview. From nudity to Little League baseball to his youthful passion for a certain female Biblical character, you’ll enjoy the few hours you spend with this gently humorous Everyman. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

 

Read this week's reviews here.

 

Poll and Question of the Week: Book Buying and the Economy

Poll:

Has the current economic crisis changed your book buying habits?

I am buying more since books are great entertainment.
I still am buying the same way.
I have had to cut back on my book buying, and I am visiting the library more.
I have had to cut back on my book buying.
I always borrowed books from the library and will continue to do so.
I am not sure if my habits have changed

-Click here to answer our poll.


Question:

What book is on your nightstand right now?

-Click here to answer our question.


 

 

Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- THREE Prizes

Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.

This week we have three great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of BURN OUT by Marcia Muller, THE GATE HOUSE by Nelson DeMille and TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on October 31st to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on October 31st.
 
Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.

 

As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.

Those of you who wish to send mail to Bookreporter.com, please see the form on the
Write to Us page.  If you would like to reach me, please write Carol@bookreporter.com. Writing any of the respond buttons below will not get to us.

Those who are subscribed to the Bookreporter.com newsletter by October 31, 2008 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: THE BRASS VERDICT by Michael Connelly, BURN OUT by Marcia Muller, THE GATE HOUSE by Nelson DeMille, A MOST WANTED MAN by John le Carre and TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve. Holly from Dartmouth, MA
was last month's newsletter winner. She won AMERICAN WIFE by Curtis Sittenfeld, THE BOOK OF LIES by Brad Meltzer, FIRST DAUGHTER by Eric Van Lustbader, THE GIVEN DAY by Dennis Lehane and THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks.

Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.

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